


Lessons

by kiss_me_cassie



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Family, High School, Post-Series, Slayer-Watcher Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 07:58:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11309100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/pseuds/kiss_me_cassie
Summary: The world is safe (AGAIN) but now there are a bunch of new Slayers who haven't even finished High School. Giles plans to fix that.





	Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> For the 2017 Summer of Giles challenge. 
> 
> Thanks to Quaggy for suggesting I participate, the encouragement, and the beta. All inconsistencies are mine.

"Good Lord, I don't even know where to begin," Giles complained, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Not a single one of these girls has completed even half of what would be required for a high school equivalency. How on earth are we going to prepare them to take their tests?"

Buffy shrugged and looked over his shoulder at the pile of homeschool workbooks he'd acquired over the past few weeks. There were a lot of them. 

"You could always call Willow back to help you," she suggested, taking a bite of her apple.

"No, absolutely not," he said, putting his glasses back on and pinning her with one of his sternest looks. "Her time with the coven is more important."

"Ok," she said. "No skin off my nose. But if you want someone who could teach them, I'm just saying, Willow's your girl."

"Mathematics and some basic history," he countered. "Not witchcraft and mysticism. They have enough familiarity with that as it is."

Buffy shrugged again and kept munching on her apple. "I'm sure Willow could do both."

"While I'm sure she could, I shall not call her back from England." Giles sighed. "You did passably well in school, but when I imagine what you could have accomplished if you hadn't had slaying to contend with as well... I would like to think we can - and will - do better with these girls."

She cocked her head to the side. "We? Hey now, who said there was a we here?"

Giles glared.

"You can't possibly tell me that you're going to leave their education solely up to me, are you?" he questioned incredulously

Buffy stopped chewing and had the grace to look slightly ashamed. 

"Not… entirely," she hedged. "I'm gonna to be teaching them plenty of stuff. Tracking, fighting, slaying… But maybe not so much with the book learning stuff."

"That's what I was afraid of," Giles said, sighing again. He took fortifying sip of his tea. "Shall I assume Dawn will be joining our little enterprise?"

"Probably. Although you have to admit, she's probably smart enough to be teaching some of the other girls," Buffy said, taking another huge bite of her apple.

"Be that as it may, she'll still have to study to pass the exams. Is she aware of that?"

"I haven't exactly explained the situation to her yet?"

"Buffy." Giles voice was stern but gentle.

"I know, ok? But what was I supposed to say? _Hey Dawnie, I know the world almost ended - again - and we're homeless and your best friend died and we're currently living out of a hotel, but you're going to have to join the others with finishing school_? Especially since it's gonna be a Slayer version of high school and not a nice, stable brick and mortar school."

Giles gazed at her sympathetically. "I know it's not something she'll be eager to hear, but that is exactly what you should have said."

Buffy grimaced. "Whoops?"

"Whoops indeed," Giles groaned. "So now in addition to telling twenty-odd Potentials - nay, twenty-odd Slayers - that they must finish their education, I also have to tell Dawn? Buffy, you must tell her yourself."

Buffy made a face at him. "Don't wanna."

"Well I 'don't wanna' either. And furthermore -"

"Can Xander do it?" she interrupted, looking at him hopefully.

"No, Xander cannot do it. You are her family, Buffy, and as such you need to be the one responsible."

"You know, really, we're all each of us has left. Xander is like her way-less-cool brother," she said cheekily. "So that would make you her stodgy, British -"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," he warned.

She grinned at him. "Uncle."

He coughed and smiled at her just the slightest bit. "Yes, exactly. Now, if we could get back to the matter at hand?"

"School?"

"School," he confirmed. He waved a hand towards the workbooks. "I suggest you choose a subject and study up this evening. We start the girls' lessons tomorrow."


End file.
